The Thistle and the Flower

I feel so blessed to be able to read about my favorite adorable cousins again and again in different settings. Their personalities are mainly the same and the circumstances are similar in general so it feels like reading one huge visual novel but with many routes which have different art style and other significant changes in plot. Gosh, I'd play more something this grand in size and structure but it's so unique and precious I'm all over the moon! (●♡∀♡))ヾ☆*。 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3540799696 So, this time we can enjoy their relationship in a short but very passionate & fulfilling story. It's practically a porn novel this time (with annoying blurry censorship, alas, though) but I totally agree with the author's notes that sex is an absolutely integral part here, it reflects the development of their relationship, it's not like in almost all 18+ stories where intimate scenes are added as some meaningless bonus. The adult scenes are so variable & frequent, it was fun:) and they revealed the characters' real, raw personalities in such a perfect way I'm not even ashamed this time and don't want to call it my guilty pleasure or smth. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3535259905 I was so happy to see so many familiar characters from the previous novels and in that new gorgeous art style aww it was breathtaking! Just watching them was so exciting! It was practically my first novel where after each click I paid attention not only to the new sentence appeared but I watched the chars' new facial expressions, how their poses changed. Everything was too beautiful, thanks to that it was such an enjoyable read! <3 For me that was one of the most pleasurable novels I've read in a while. I'd like to replay it some day again, it was just too fun. It's so hot, pretty & cute I can't recommend it enough, welp, if you like smutty yaoi, then it's just perfect! I'm so grateful for this amazing gift to be able to indulge myself in one more story of these sweet cousins!♥️ And I hope it's not my last time ;) [table] [tr] [th]More thoughts about the game in a [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/readingnook/discussions/0/603032366463597943/] Reading Nook [/url][/th] [/tr] [/table]

[i]The Thistle and the Flower[/i] is somewhat similar to [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2025720/All_Idleness_and_Ephemera/]All Idleness and Ephemera[/url], in that the story in both VNs is moved along primarily by the r18 scenes. However, this is not to say that they're devoid of depth - the development of the characters and their relationship is the focus, and ebi-hime excels at this, striking an excellent balance between hot smutty scenes and tender moments (often at the same time). The gorgeous art supplements this story and its tone perfectly; this sprite and CG artist previously worked on another of ebi-hime's r18 BL titles, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3016500/Rain_and_the_Wolf/]The Rain and the Wolf[/url]. My favorite CG in the entire game is actually the one used as the main menu image, which you can see at the start of the gameplay trailer; if you like it, then I can guarantee that the quality and style of the rest of the game's CGs will be to your liking as well. I don't have much to say about the music, as it's not something that usually sticks out to me in a VN, but I found it a fitting accompaniment to the story. Overall, it's a (relatively) short-and-sweet read that is well worth the price for the lovely art and the time well spent. I would highly recommend the game to anyone who enjoyed [i]All Idleness and Ephemera[/i], due to their aforementioned similarities, but I also think that anyone who has been having fun with [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/3486140/Unluckily_in_Love_Fragments_of_Love/]Unluckily in Love: Fragments of Love[/url] would enjoy this game, as both feature crossdressing boys (yaaaay >w<) and they share a cast of characters across different universes (in this universe, Yuel is the boss instead of the coworker of the supporting cast, which makes for a really interesting dynamic imo LOL). And, if you're still undecided on [i]The Thistle and the Flower[/i] I might suggest giving [i]Fragments of Love[/i] a go to see how you like it, as it's a free VN. :)

I already like it because Tavi is in a maid dress which is quite the welcome change for someone who is usually depicted as the "top". Anyway, I do enjoy how the story tries to incorporate more characters from the other novels (most notable from Unluckily in Love: Fragments of Love) and puts more focus into Tavi as a character compared to previous iterations. For the NSFW art, it is pixel censored but Tavi servicing Yuel for half of the game is more than enough to offset it. Anyway, I'm a fan of seeing Yuel and Tavi because I do enjoy their dynamic so it should be no surprise in me recommending this game.

画风精美，文笔还行（攻受互动还行，与配角互动一般，太啰嗦），前期配角戏份较多，剧情较水，但中后期有起到助攻作用，心机自大花孔雀攻V高傲内敛老实人受，攻不洁（男女皆有经验，前期喜欢调戏女仆，但人家不搭理他）受洁，受有麦当劳倾向，含女装攻，女装受，主仆，堂兄弟骨科，言语侮辱等元素，依旧存在性别问题，BL题材属于女性向作品，主要受众是女性，就不能多注意一点吗，这点扣分，加分项是精美的画风和涩涩的特殊cg，给予画师好评，总体来说还行，可尝试，但建议可直接把剧情跳过看特殊cg

i love these cousins in every universe. i need more of them.

[i]The Thistle and the Flower[/i] is a downright frothy Yuel/Tavi kinetic novel set in Victorian Era England. It may or may not have been created for the express purpose of putting Tavi in a maid outfit, but either way I approve. Unlike previous entries in the Yueleverse, [i]The Thistle and the Flower[/i] is from Tavi’s perspective and wow, what a difference! While Yuel tends to isolate, Tavi spends quite awhile getting to know Evangeline, Zeke, Kristófer, and Kai. His thoughts frequently turn to his mother and her needs. The selfish, manipulative side of Tavi bleeds across the screen—he’s fully aware of class, his own agenda, and the harsh realities of life. He will mess with other people to get what he wants. Don’t worry however, the ending is still very happy. Tavi’s darker musings are the salt to make a pudding all the sweeter. The stunning visuals, the cheerful soundtrack, and the happy narrative make for lovely experience. Playing felt like drinking hot chocolate before the fire. If you’d like an adorable historical BL romance, buy [i]The Thistle and the Flower[/i]!